Heyri Art Valley (Korean: 헤이리 마을) is an artistic community in the unification hill district of Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was constructed by artists, writers, painters and other creatives.
Heyri Art Valley is Korea’s largest artistic community with an area of approximately 495,868 square metres (5,337,480 sq ft). In 1997, Heyri was conceived as a planned settlement. It began in 1998 with an inaugural meeting attended by 380 cultural artists. This unique community village integrates concepts that coexist in the fields of production, exhibit, sales, and habitation of cultural art. From a functional perspective, the Heyri Art Valley was planned with an urban form that focused on cultural businesses. It is home to many galleries, museums, exhibit halls, concert halls, small theaters, cafes, restaurants, bookstores, guest houses, art shops, and creative living spaces for artists. Each building was designed by dozens of nationally and internationally renowned architects, who also designed features of the natural landscape, such as mountains, hills, swamps, and brooks. The community derives its name from a traditional Nongyo (farming song), “the sound of Heyri,” native to the region.
History
When it was originally conceptualized in 1997, the village was envisioned as a “book village” that would connect to the nearby Paju Book City as part of the Unification Land Development Project. As development began, the village attracted many artists who contributed ideas to expand the initial vision. Their contributions led to the project’s transformation into a broader “cultural art Village” which is now known as Heyri Art Valley.
Gallery
Heyri Art Valley is a neighborhood of inspiration, creative workshops, exhibitions, festivals, and education of all things creative arts. This neighborhood expanded into an art complex when artists from diverse fields of expertise began to gather during the development process of Paju Book City. The village’s name originates from Paju’s local song “Heyri Sound,” sung by farmers while working at the fields. The whole neighborhood is like a masterpiece due to the artworks displayed along the streets in harmony with nature’s beauty. The buildings were carefully designed as to prevent the manmade structures getting in the way from admiring the surrounding nature. For example, the neighborhood’s streets were designed to follow the curves set by nature without using any asphalt.
How to get to heyri art village from Seoul?
- Address
Heyri Reed Plaza, 70-21, Heyri Maeul-gil, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do
- Getting there by bus:
It is possible to take the bus from Seoul to go to the Heyri Art Village . You have to take the bus number 2200 . You can take this bus in Seoul, for example at Hongik University Bus Station (홍대입구) or Hapjeong Station (합정역). Then you need to stop at the Heyri Art Village Gate 4 bus stop (헤이리예술마을4G).
- Map of Heyri Art Village
